


By Any Other Name

by Anonymous



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-19
Updated: 2010-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:16:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: He'd been without a name for so long that it didn't really matter who took him next, so long as they gave him a name and saved him from the agony of being nameless. Now he just needs to learn to navigate the realities of having two masters instead of just one.





	By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [A (AILiSeki)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AILiSeki/gifts).



He heard the words, but he didn’t understand them. He never did. A strange, incomprehensible combination of sounds that rang in his ears and settled in his chest.

It didn’t matter what the words were: he was only relieved that he could finally breathe again. He opened his mouth and accepted the familiar taste of blood and semen.

“That’s a good boy.”

He swallowed greedily, eager to get the process over with, so he could finally _be_ again. As more of those strange syllables settled on his ears, it became easier and easier to breathe. His vision cleared and sharpened until he could see the person crouching over him.

Or, not person. Two people. Both male, both handsome in their own way. One of them was older, with gray already starting to twist through his shoulder-length black hair, but it made him look gentle. The other one looked younger, but that might have been due to the cosmetics he wore. His hair was short and blond, and his eyes were hard in a way that made him seem unapproachable.

“How are you feeling, pet?” the older one asked. He smiled, displaying a crooked set of teeth.

It was too hard to speak, so he didn’t. He didn’t know the rules yet anyway, and he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. In truth, he still felt awful, like his skin had been pulled off and his bones were pointing in all the wrong directions.

“He’s only just been named. Don’t push him too much.”

 _Named._ He stared hungrily at them, and despite the pain, he said, “What’s my name?” His voice cracked from disuse, no longer the beautiful instrument one of his previous masters had loved so much.

Loved, and discarded. Stripped of his name to leave him fractured and broken, until the next master could name him. This one had grown tired of him too, and the next one, and the next one after that. He’d lost count of how many masters, how many names. His soul had been splintered and shattered, but he craved the bindings the name would give him to give him a semblance of wholeness.

“Tempest,” said the gray-haired one, while the blond one answered, “Dark,” at the same time.

The two men looked at each other and laughed. “Dark Tempest?” suggested the younger one.

“Yes, that works.”

Dark Tempest sighed in relief. It wasn’t his true name—he’d never be able to hear his true name, because only those with magic could understand true names—but it was enough. He felt himself settle, and he could finally take in his surroundings.

His new masters had brought him to a room that smelled of cinnamon and roses. He was naked on the floor, sprawled out on top of the familiar spell-circle markings that he’d lain on top of so many times before. Every time he’d been stripped of a name; every time he was given a new name.

“Masters,” Dark Tempest whispered. He tried to sit up, but the naming was so recent that his body wasn’t working properly. He gave a quiet gasp of pain and fell back to the floor before he’d lifted more than a few inches.

The blond-haired man tsk’ed. “You shouldn’t strain yourself just yet.” He placed a hand on Dark Tempest’s forehead. “There you go, Dark. Just relax.”

“Everybody’s going to end up calling him Dark,” the gray-haired man said, shaking his head. “Oh well. Tempest, I’m sure you’re familiar with everything by now. We were told you’ve had quite a few masters before.”

Dark Tempest nodded cautiously. His previous master hadn’t liked that he’d been so well-used. Said it was clear he was a bad slave, that so many people had discarded him already.

“Well, Aleus and I—I’m Victor—are your new masters. We’ll give you a bit of leeway to get situated, but we’ll expect you to attend to our needs.”

Names. Dark Tempest new better than to ever speak his masters’ names out loud, but he treasured the knowledge anyway. Master Aleus was the blond man, and Master Victor was the older one, with the gray in his hair. He’d never had two masters simultaneously, and that made him a bit wary, but so far, they hadn’t been worse than anybody else Dark Tempest had been bound to. A bit better than some of them, even.

Victor picked up one of Dark Tempest’s hands and kissed it. “I’m sure you’ll like serving us.”

Aleus snorted a bit. “He’s not going to have much choice, will he? The magic being what it is.” Then he picked up Dark Tempest’s other hand and placed a kiss on it. “But we’ll certainly try to be kind to you, as long as you behave.”

It didn’t really matter who they were or how they treated him. As long as Dark Tempest was here, as long as he had a name, he’d be better off than without. He just had to do everything in his power to stay here with them.

“Please,” Dark Tempest said. “I’ll be good.”

Victor shook his head and kissed Dark Tempest’s hand again. “Don’t worry, pet. I’m sure you’ll do fine. I could tell when we bought you that you weren’t a bad slave.” He looked at Aleus. “Don’t scare him. He’s had it rough enough as it is.”

To which Aleus rolled his eyes. “I just don’t want to give him unrealistic expectations.”

Despite how tired he was, Dark Tempest filed away the words. He had to be on his best behavior for Aleus. It would probably be easier to get on Victor’s good side, and if anything went wrong with Aleus, maybe Victor would protect him.

Navigating two masters would be more difficult than just one, but maybe it would give him a bit more leeway as well. His other masters had stripped him of his name as soon as they’d grown bored. Here, even if one was bored with him, the other might still want to keep him.

He stiffened when Aleus slid an arm under his back and forced him to sit up. The pain was not as bad as even a few minutes earlier, which meant the magic was healing him, making him whole in a way he hadn’t been in weeks.

Dark Tempest wished he knew how long he’d been without a name, but he couldn’t risk asking his masters until he knew them better. Right now, he had to keep silent and learn their desires.

“There you go. I’m sure you’re starving,” Victor said. “Let’s get you downstairs. This study is great for magic, but it isn’t very cozy.”

“You could add a couch,” Aleus said, guiding Dark Tempest into an upright position. Dark Tempest was surprised to discover that he was a little bit taller than Aleus. He was skinnier, but that was bound to happen with how hard it had been to keep food down. Aleus had the soft features of a man used to eating well. Hard to tell how his muscles fared underneath all the robes though.

Victor was taller than both of them, and he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that exposed his muscled arms. Whatever he did in his spare time, it gave him definition.

“This isn’t a place of leisure. If I had a couch in here, I’d nap too much and never get any work done.”

The two argued a little bit more, but there was no vitriol in their words. It must have been an argument they had often enough. Dark Tempest caught the slight smile on both their faces, and with dread realized a slight miscalculation on his part.

These two were clearly lovers. That meant Dark Tempest had competition for their good will and affection. He had to work to stand out against the other. He wondered why they’d even gotten him in the first place, but he pushed that thought down as far as he could. It didn’t matter. He needed them both to want him.

They led him down one floor to a bedroom with a massive bed. A cot was situated at the foot of the bed, and a tray of food and drink was sitting on top of one of the dressers. The food smelled so divine that Dark Tempest’s mouth began to water. He desperately wanted to throw himself on the tray, but he knew better than that. He’d received the whippings and the beatings and been starved enough to know that he had to wait for permission.

They got him settled on the cot. They didn’t give him clothing, but Dark Tempest was used to that. He sometimes envied the fineries his past masters had worn, but the few times he’d been forced into clothes they’d felt constricting. He didn’t understand how people walked in shoes, or how they could stand the sweat clinging to their skin, how they could breathe when their stomachs were constricted by waistbands.

Victor was the one who brought the tray over. It held an assortment of foods, including fruit, cut up vegetables, and a simple soup in a mug, and a bread with a thick crust. It must have been kept warm with magic.

“Eat up, slowly, we wouldn’t want you to make yourself sick.” Victor held a grape up to Dark Tempest’s lips. Dark Tempest cautiously opened his mouth to accept the treat, and he nearly moaned when the fruit’s sweet juices burst across his tongue.

Victor smiled at him and petted Dark Tempest’s hair. “There you go, Tempest. You’ll fit in perfectly.”

Dark Tempest nodded eagerly, although he caught the slight frown on Aleus’s face. That cemented Dark Tempest’s plan. He’d focus on Victor first, mold himself to Victor’s desires, and hope that he could figure out how to win Aleus over along the way. But he needed at least one of these two to want him enough to fight to keep him.

It took a few weeks, but Tempest—he liked Tempest more than Dark—got used to things. Aleus and Victor were respected sorcerers, and their services were often in demand. Aleus participated in a lot of conferences and loved going to workshops, while Victor was more of a homebody and had less interest in travel.

That was why they’d gotten a slave. Dark Tempest was there to keep Victor company while Aleus was out of town. Those nights were pleasant, and Tempest looked forward to them. Victor was very easy to please, requiring cuddles and the occasional blow job.

It wasn’t as easy when Aleus was home, because Aleus didn’t care to use Tempest as much. He fucked Tempest, both on his own and with Victor participating, but Tempest always got the impression that Aleus was only tolerating him for Victor’s sake.

Aleus had returned from a trip the previous night, and now he and Victor were snuggling on the bed together. Tempest was in his own cot, the warm covers pulled up almost over his head.

“You’re coddling him,” Aleus said to Victor. They both thought Tempest was still asleep. If it had been just Victor, Tempest might have crawled into bed with him and offered his mouth or ass. He wasn’t going to do anything unrequested with Aleus there, though.

He hoped they wouldn’t start fucking though. He’d listened to that on a few occasions, and it made his heart tighten in uncomfortable ways. It wasn’t just the sounds of sex—he was intimately familiar with those—it was the way they called each other “darling” or “love,” the way they spent entire minutes on kissing, the way they sometimes laughed with each other or murmured words of devotion.

He had to make Victor like him more than Aleus. That was the only way.

“I’m not coddling him. I’m being nice. And as somebody wise said, _kindness costs nothing._ ”

“I wonder who said that,” Aleus said. It was obvious he was smiling, and soon the two of them were kissing again. Tempest hated it so much.

He decided to risk it. He groaned and shifted as if he’d just woken from sleep, and was happy to notice that the kissing noises stopped.

“Tempest, pet? Are you awake?” Victor said.

“Yes,” Tempest answered. He sat up quickly. Attentively, like a good slave, and looked at them from his spot.

Aleus snapped his finger and a small magelight appeared, illuminating them all with soft light. This early in the morning, before his masters had completed their morning ablutions, the age difference between them didn’t look so pronounced. He’d been right that Aleus used cosmetics to hide his age. If he had to guess, they were within ten years of each other.

That was one advantage he had over Aleus, at least. Tempest was younger than him, and now that he’d had a few weeks of good, regular food, without his body attempting to tear itself apart, he’d grown prettier too. The rings under his eyes were disappearing, and his skin no longer seemed to sag on him. And Victor had given him some cosmetics, which Tempest used better than Aleus did.

“Come join us,” Victor ordered, shuffling away from Aleus and patting the space between them. Tempest climbed onto the bed and crawled to where he was directed, curving his back and swaying his ass enticingly. He saw the way Victor looked at him approvingly, and, surprisingly, the small smile on Aleus’s face.

When Tempest reached them, he settled onto his knees and looked at Victor expectantly. He startled when Aleus petted his hair; even when his fingers tangled in Tempest’s curls, he didn’t pull.

“We could do with a lazy morning fuck, don’t you think, Aleus?” Victor said. He rubbed his finger along Tempest’s jaw affectionately, and Tempest parted his lips to show his eagerness.

“If you want,” Aleus answered. “I’ll take his ass, you’ll take his mouth?”

“I thought we could both take his ass. Can you imagine, our cocks rubbing against each other, enveloped in Tempest’s warmth?”

Tempest’s breath stuttered, and all of his muscles tensed. He hadn’t meant to do that, but he couldn’t help it: the moment Victor suggested it, Tempest’s mind focused on the memories of his previous master, who’d thought it would be great fun to make Tempest one of the “party favors.” He’d been stuffed full in all directions, and it would have been fine, it wasn’t an issue, Tempest could handle it, only one of the guests had brought along toys, and they’d used magic to stretch him out enough to fit everything, and…

Two cocks should be no problem at all though. Tempest realized he’d averted his gaze, and he quickly forced himself to look back up.

Unfortunately, Aleus was biting his lip now and frowning again. “I don’t think we should. If you want his hole, I don’t mind waiting. Or—you know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll leave you two to play.”

Victor pouted. “Come on. You’re rarely home. If it bothers you that much, we could just do something on our own.”

“No!” Tempest blurted out.

His masters looked at him. He shrank down under their scrutiny, but he told himself that nothing was as bad as being discarded. He had to make them both want him.

Tempest hesitantly put a hand onto Aleus’s bare shoulder. When Aleus didn’t rebuke him, Tempest got closer and kissed his jaw. It was rough with the beginnings of a beard; he was hairier than Victor, and the scruff prickled Tempest’s lips. He didn’t let any of his discomfort show, of course.

He didn’t linger too much on kissing anyway. He had learned long ago that masters didn’t keep a slave around for kissing. He used his hands to caress Aleus’s nipples while he slowly kissed his way down Aleus’s neck.

Something must have been working for Aleus, because his eyes began to flutter, and he put a hand on Tempest’s head. “Dark…”

Then Victor grabbed Tempest’s ass, and Tempest gasped loudly without meaning to. Aleus’s opened and he scowled again. “Are you going to insist on this?”

“I want it!” Tempest said desperately. “Please, Masters! Please, use me!” He tensed again, and the back of his neck grew cold with sweat, but he knew he had to endure if he wanted them to keep him. He couldn’t handle having his name stripped from him again. He was sure he’d die if he went through it even one more time.

“You heard him,” Victor said. “Wouldn’t want to deny him, would you?”

There was another moment’s hesitation, and then Aleus nodded slightly. “Fine. But I’ll do the spells. I know you don’t remember the right spellforms.”

Victor laughed and leaned forward, his stomach pressing against Tempest’s back and forcing Tempest against Aleus’s chest. “You know me so well, darling.” He kissed Aleus, and Tempest had to sit there and hope neither of them decided they didn’t want him between them after all.

When they broke apart, Aleus’s expression had softened. “Ah. All right. Why don’t you lie back. Dark can suck you while I prep him.”

“You know that’s not necessary,” Victor said, but Tempest was already on him, pushing the sheets aside to expose his cock. It was only half-hard, but Tempest had become acquainted with it in the past few weeks, and he’d learned how to please Victor easily enough. It did irk him that Aleus was larger than Victor, both in length and girth, but Tempest decided it was better. It meant he could take more of Victor’s cock into his mouth.

He put his all into it, sucking hard on the ridge and then kissing down the length of the cock. He let spit dribble down and coat the slowly-burgeoning erection. With one hand he massaged Victor’s balls lightly—not too much pressure, because he’d learned that Victor didn’t like that at all. And he made extra sure to keep his fingers far away from Victor’s hole. The one time he’d accidentally brushed against it, Victor had made Tempest sleep in the living room.

When Aleus touched Tempest’s ass, Tempest was prepared for it. He spread his legs as wide as he could without losing balance, and forced his muscles to relax. It didn’t matter too much though, since Aleus said some incomprehensible jumble of syllables, and in the next instant heat radiated out from his fingertips, bringing an unnatural looseness to Tempest’s body.

“Let’s get you real wet,” Aleus said, as if he thought Tempest couldn’t handle being fucked dry. Tempest ignored Aleus as best he could, focusing on Victor’s pleasure. He choked a little when Victor grabbed his scalp and thrust up, but he made sure to simply take a deeper breath next time. It was good that Victor was letting go like this.

Aleus said another spell, and this time something cool and slippery trickled into Tempest’s crack. Aleus’s fingers slipped inside Tempest, massaging his hole and stretching it. Between the two spells, Aleus had no trouble getting three fingers in, but Tempest thought he would have been able to handle that much even without any of the preparation.

“Hurry up,” Victor said, panting. Tempest thought it was directed at him until Victor pushed his head aside, drool dripping out of his mouth. “His mouth is so good. We picked right with him. But I want to come against your cock, inside him.”

“Of course, Victor.” Aleus wiped his hand against Tempest’s ass and then pushed him forward a bit. “Go on up, Dark. Put your arms on Victor’s shoulders. You’ll want to get him in you first.”

“I’ve done this before,” Tempest said mulishly.

He should have kept his mouth shut, though, because Victor frowned at him. “Don’t talk to Aleus like that, Tempest.”

It would have been easier if only Aleus weren’t here. Tempest bit his lip and nodded. “I’m sorry, Master.”

He was surprised when Aleus kissed the nape of his neck. “Forgiven. Now please, show me how you can take Victor’s cock.”

That was an order Tempest was eager to follow anyway. He straddled Victor’s thighs and reached down to position Victor’s cock the way he needed to. Victor smiled at him but didn’t move to help, because unlike Aleus, he _knew_ how good Tempest was at this.

It took no time at all to sink down on Victor’s cock, to have that hot flesh inside him. Tempest loved it, and for a moment he wished he weren’t a slave, so he could kiss Victor, to show how much he cared. But he knew he couldn’t, not with Aleus watching. Instead, he squeezed his ass tight and dragged himself up again, enjoying Victor’s stuttering breaths and the way his eyes rolled up.

“Oh, fuck, that’s good, pet,” Victor whispered. “Aleus, hurry. I want you in here with me. I need you to feel this.”

Tempest sank down, panting hard. When he bothered to look, he could see that he was erect. His own arousal didn’t matter, of course, but Victor had seemed amused by Tempest’s erections, so Tempest didn’t bother trying to will the erection away. At least one master had threatened to castrate him if he didn’t stop; in the end, he’d simply sold Tempest rather than deal with the mess of Tempest’s recovery.

He shifted his weight so that Victor’s penis dragged against his prostate, and he gave a stuttered gasp at the pleasure. He desperately wanted to keep going like this, but he knew that Aleus was getting impatient, and Victor wanted to have Aleus’s cock in there, so Tempest would give it to him. He had to please his masters.

“Please,” Tempest panted, “please give me more.”

Aleus spanked his ass lightly, making Tempest’s hole clench. Victor moaned loudly. “Fuck, fuck, Aleus. Hurry.”

“I’m getting there,” Aleus said. He pushed his fingers against Tempest’s rim, rubbing around Victor’s cock. Suddenly he squeezed a finger in there. If not for the magic, Tempest thought he would have screamed. Not that it hurt—it didn’t hurt, of course it didn’t hurt—but a flash of memory overcame him, and he couldn’t breathe, there were so many people, all of them touching them, wanting more from him, so much that he almost—

Aleus reached around and took hold of Tempest’s cock. “There you go. Relax a bit more, or this will hurt.”

“I’m fine,” Tempest said, although even to his own ears his voice trembled. He wiped at his eyes and lifted his hips again, enjoying the drag of Victor’s cock against his rim. “Please. Just do it.”

“Listen to him, Aleus. Do it,” Victor said. He settled his hands on Tempest’s hips. “He wants it. Straight from the horse’s mouth. And who are we to deny him?”

“So you say. All right, already. I can see when I’m outnumbered. And he does look tempting.”

Tempest couldn’t see Aleus’s expression, and he honestly didn’t want to at this point. He nestled his neck in the crook of Victor’s shoulder and forced himself to breathe slowly. Aleus’s finger inside him wriggled a bit, and was then joined by a second one, and a third. He must have been stretched so wide now.

Aleus stroked Tempest’s cock a little bit longer, enough to make Tempest worry that he would actually come. If his master wanted that, he was happy to perform for them, but Victor had never given any indication that he liked seeing Tempest’s pleasure.

Thankfully Aleus’s hand slipped off, and rather than bring it back up to Tempest’s cock, he used it to position his own cock against Tempest’s hole. “You ready, Dark?”

Why did Aleus keep checking in? Tempest had never not been ready for them. Even that first day, when his bones still felt shattered, he’d done everything they’d asked.

“Please, master! Give it to me!” Tempest begged, putting as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could.

Aleus’s cock pushed in, and for a moment Tempest’s vision whited out. Even with all the preparation, it felt like too much, his body split in two, but it passed. Aleus was pushing in excruciatingly slow, dragging everything out. Probably wanting to hurt Tempest on purpose. Tempest was glad for the spells that kept him from tensing, though, because he knew it could have been so much worse.

Both Aleus and Victor groaned loudly, and Tempest watched as Victor’s entire expression morphed into pleasure. Good. That was what Tempest gave them. They would remember this. They had to remember this. Tempest shifted his weight a little to better accommodate them, and he smiled in satisfaction when Victor’s hips thrust up. Aleus’s thighs, pressed up against Tempest, were trembling.

“Oh, fuck. That’s good,” Aleus murmured. “So warm.” He reached around and cupped Tempest’s cock again, which had grown soft due to the pain. “Doing a good job, Dark. You’re taking us so well.”

The praise confused Tempest, even more than Aleus’s stroking. Some masters liked the way an orgasm felt around their cocks, and Tempest was happy enough to give it to them if they wanted it, but it made no sense for Aleus to praise him. He’d only been distant and disapproving up until now.

“Aleus, love—” Victor said, pushing on Tempest’s hips to urge him down again. Tempest was so full, but the pain was easing, and every movement lighted pleasure in him, helped along by Aleus’s hand on his cock. Sweat dripped down his brow and his arms felt weak. It was taking effort not to slump forward against Victor.

That was a nice fantasy. Tempest would embrace Victor and ride him, and Victor’s words would be for him and him alone.

Aleus thrusted hard, pushing Tempest forward. He ended up pressed up against Victor’s chest, and Tempest breathed in his scent, slightly musky this early in the morning. Victor grunted, and he let go of Tempest’s hip to tangle his hand with Aleus’s on Tempest’s cock.

The shock of it made Tempest almost come right then and there. He held on though, just barely. It was so hard, though. He wanted nothing more than to let go, let himself simply enjoy everything. Even Aleus’s presence wasn’t so terrible that he couldn’t take pleasure in this.

Aleus started moving again, and Tempest found he barely had to do anything, pulled along by their movements. His thighs were starting to burn anyway, and it was hard to keep his eyes open. He was so close. He needed them to come first, though, and he did his best to match their movements, even if his attempts were sloppy.

With some disappointment, he felt when Aleus and Victor’s fingers tangled around each other and pulled away from his erection. That was okay. It would be easier to stay focused.

Victor’s other hand reached past Tempest to Aleus. “Love, please, kiss me. This is heaven, I need you with me—”

Once again Tempest was pressed tightly between their bodies, and he whimpered into Victor’s collar while the two of them kissed. The hot rush inside him and the sudden halting breaths told him that one of them had come. From the kiss? No, because of Tempest. He had to believe that. It was because of Tempest.

“Keep going,” Victor ordered. “He should have both of us inside him. He’s yours too, after all.”

Aleus’s movements got shallower, with their position no longer allowing as much movement as before.

“Please,” Tempest begged, mostly to bring their attention away from each other and back to him. “More.”

Victor laughed softly into Tempest’s ear. “That’s what I like to hear my pet say.”

“That’s why—” Aleus grunted and pressed his forehead against the nape of Tempest’s neck. “Ugh, that’s why I said you were coddling him.”

Tempest mewled and made noises, since Victor liked it when he did that, and did his best to get Aleus off quickly. He sighed in relief when he felt that tell-tale warmth, and then Aleus slumped against him. It meant Tempest was sandwiched between the two men and couldn’t move, but he didn’t mind.

After a few moments, Victor said, “You’re heavy. I’m suffocating here.”

Aleus grumbled and slowly pulled away, drawing both his own and Victor’s cock out of Tempest. Their semen dripped down his thighs and onto Victor, making Victor grimace. “That’s less pleasant outside than in.”

“What did you expect?” Aleus said. He settled back onto the bed, pulling Tempest with him.

“I can clean you, Master,” Tempest offered. He’d gotten long used to the taste of come, and he would gladly take any opportunity to put his mouth on Victor.

“No need.” Aleus chanted an incantation that instantly cleaned all of them of the morning’s exertions. Tempest bit his lip to keep from scowling.

“Magic isn’t meant for trivialities like that,” Victor complained, but he was grinning, and soon leaned over Tempest to kiss Aleus again. Tempest squeezed his eyes shut.

When the two broke apart, Aleus’s started running his hand down Tempest’s side. “Did you come, Dark?”

Tempest didn’t know how to answer. Well, it had to be the truth, because lies that could easily be disproven were a very bad idea, but he wasn’t sure what answer these two wanted. He settled with, “No, Master. But it doesn’t matter.”

Aleus’s fingers curled, and Tempest felt a hint of nails, before they were once more simply stroking him. “Doesn’t matter?” He sighed. “Victor, I thought we’d agreed—”

“Honestly, he really doesn’t seem to care. And if he doesn’t, I don’t see why we should.” Victor patted Tempest on the head before he got out of bed. “I’ll go buy breakfast. We have an invitation to lunch later today, and it’ll be nice to have you there. Bernice and her dreadful husband will both be attending.”

Tempest tried to get up to follow him, but Aleus tightened his arm around him and drew him back down. “Fine. But don’t provoke them on purpose just because I’m there to diffuse things.”

“I would _never_ ,” Victor protested. “You know I’m a model of civility.”

Aleus snorted against Tempest’s back. “Of course you are. I’d like croissants, please. And if you could brew tea…”

“Yes, yes.” Victor got dressed while Aleus clung to Tempest, preventing him from helping Victor with his clothes. When he was finished, Victor walked over and kissed Aleus one last time. “You’d better not still be in bed when I get back.”

“I deserve a morning in sometimes,” Aleus complained, but Tempest could hear the smile in his voice.

“You had your morning in!” Victor threw the curtains open, flooding the room with the morning light. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

And then he left. Tempest watched the door longingly.

Aleus nuzzled Tempest’s back. “Dark, you can relax. He’s gone.”

If Aleus weren’t his master, if Aleus didn’t hold his name, Tempest might have snapped at him. He had to stay in Aleus’s good graces, though, so he turned around to face Aleus. “Can I serve you, Master?”

“You did well earlier. I’m satisfied. I just hope Victor isn’t asking too much of you.”

“I’m happy to do anything Master Victor asks of me,” Tempest answered seriously. “Anything _you_ ask of me, Master.”

That familiar frown spread across Aleus’s face. “Dark…” He paused and then sighed, then let go of Tempest entirely. He sat up and got out of bed. “Never mind. I suppose I’m the one with unrealistic expectations.”

Tempest watched Aleus get dressed, confused and annoyed. He simply couldn’t figure out what Aleus wanted from him, and every time he failed to please Aleus, he would get phantom pains, reminders of what it felt like to have his name stripped.

He wrapped his arms around himself and hoped Victor got back soon.


End file.
